Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting On Wednesday hosted at Breaking the Spine.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, a novel about what it takes to become a vampire.

Set in contemporary Paris and London, and the American colonies during the upheaval and unrest that exploded into the Revolutionary War, a sweeping story that braids together the past and present.

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life, free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply-held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast forward to contemporary London, where Marcus has fallen for Phoebe Taylor, a young employee at Sotheby's. She decides to become a vampire, too, and though the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable in the modern world than they were in the 18th century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both--forever.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities for change, Time's Convert will delight fans of the All Souls trilogy and all readers of magic, the supernatural, and romance.

Ahhhhh I'm so excited for this book! It's a spin-off book of the All Souls Trilogy about Marcus. I finished reading the final All Souls book, The Book of Life in December so I was really curious about what the author would be doing next. The book sounds amazing. I simply can't wait! At least it's still being published this year!!

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

With Valentine's Day coming up tomorrow I wanted to make a romance novel related post. I've done this in the past around this time of year but I thought to change it a bit up this year and feature my favorite dark romance authors because dark romance is my favorite type of romantic stories to read about.

With each author I will feature a couple of my favorite books or series by them. This was really hard to do because I love enjoy pretty much each and every book I read by these authors so I'll have to leave some books out. Here we go!

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Pepper WintersI don't think anyone who knows me just a little bit will be surprised to see Pepper Winters on this post. She is and will forever be my favorite dark romance author ever. And even my favorite female author, I think! I do have to say she doesn't only write dark romance, there's also some gray romance and "regular" contemporary romance but there always seems to be a little twisty side to her books anyway.

Tears of Tess will always be my favorite book of Pepper Winters. It's her debut novel and the first book of hers that I read. And damn, it was one hell of a dark book. Not the darkest I've EVER read but I was hooked instantly. Best series ever! Tess and Q are simply incredible. My OTP!

Now this, this is one twisty series. Maybe even more twisty than Monsters in the Dark? I haven't even finished this series yet because Pepper keeps releasing books and I just want to read them all. I'm currently working my way through them. Right now I'm at book €5 and I just can't wait to see where things will go with Nila and Jethro because holy shit things are intense right now in it!

The dollar series is my second favorite of Pepper's. Pim and Elder were mind blowing together. Their chemistry was off the charts! And guess what? Nila and Jethro as well as Tess and Q appeared in this series. It was just amazing. Especially when Q and Tess came into the last book. It was like a sneak peek into their lives and what they were up to. I rated all books five stars except for book #4, which was a 4 star rating so you know it was really good!

Skye Warren & Annika Martin

I'm putting these two authors together because they've written two books together that both are top favorites of mine. My first Skye Warren book was Prisoner which she wrote with Annika Martin, since then on I've been a huge fan of Skye's, especially her Stripped series. I already was a fan of Annika's books, especially her Taken Hostage by Kinky Bank Robbers series. Those books aren't dark romance, though. They're erotica/menage books and SO MUCH FUN.

So I'm featuring two books out of one series here because it's my favorite series of Skye's and these are my two favorites. Especially Pretty When You Cry was amazing. Each book features a different couple and I just like ahhhhhh because I love them all so much. But I do have a soft spot of Candy and Ivan from Pretty When You Cry. I'm actually really sad this series ended.

Prisoner released a few years ago and a few weeks ago Hostage released. I've been looking forward to that sequel for ages. BUT you can read both books as standalone as well. I even think prisoner was one of the first dark romance novels I've read, although I could be mistaken since it's been a few years. I gotta say Hostage is secretly my favorite. I absolutely adored Stone. He's my book boyfriend of this duology (?). I'm not sure if there will be more books so I'm calling it a duology for now.

Avie Adams

I only discovered Avie Adams last year when she asked me to review Incanta Soul-Catcher. I've honestly never been more glad that I accepted her books to read and review because they were so freaking good. LIKE REALLY! This is her only series so far and it's dark fantasy. Really dark. They all pretty much blew my mind and the writing is absolutely beautiful. I'm eagerly awaiting what she's going to write next.

I loved each and every one of these books. Like I said it's dark fantasy and I think the Incanta world is really unique. I've never ever read anything like it. My favorite book (so far) was Scalding Ice and Goldfire. I just can't begin to explain how good that book was. Not to mention the writing. All I can say these books are gems and go read them. Just do it.

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So these are my favorite dark romance authors. I have a few more authors that have written dark romances that I've enjoyed but none I love more than these four.

Do you love dark romance as well? Which authors or books are your favorites?

Get smarter in just 60 minutes with in60Learning . Concise and elegantly written non-fiction books and audiobooks help you learn the core subject matter in 20% of the time that it takes to read a typical book. Life is short, so explore a multitude of fascinating historical, biographical, scientific, political, and financial topics in only an hour each.

When Pharaoh Thutmose II died, he left an heir far too young to rule Egypt. His widow Hatshepsut stepped up to take his place. For at least the next 20 years, Hatshepsut ruled as Pharaoh King of Egypt in an era of prosperous growth and peace. When she died, her nephew Thutmose III attempted to smear her good name and wipe her memory from history. However, despite his efforts, his aunt Hatshepsut holds the title of most famous native Egyptian woman to ever rule as pharaoh; she also retains a legacy as one of the most successful female leaders in early history.

For those who don't know yet, ancient Egypt is my favorite era in history to read about. I can't remember a time where I wasn't fascinated by anything related to that topic. Hatshepsut is without a doubt my favorite pharaoh. So I'm really glad I got the chance to read this book. Not only was Hatshepsut a woman ruling Egypt as king or pharaoh but she did it for quite some time too (even though she was a co-ruler with her nephew and stepson Thutmose III, who smeared her good name after she died). I've always thought she deserves more recognition by older historians and people in general. I don't think many people will know her very well, or even at all. That's why Hatshepsut: The Pharaoh-Queen of Egypt was a good read. I really enjoyed it!This book can easily read in one sitting, obviously, like the synopsis says: "Get smarter in just 60 minutes with in60Learning." I did know quite a lot already about Hatshepsut because of my mini obsession with her and the fact that I've alread read a lot about her before this book but even so I can say that it was really good overview about Hatshepsut, her reign, what happened in the aftermath of her death and much more. I even learned a thing or two more that I didn't even know, which is exactly why I love reading these kind of books. The writing was really good and informative but the chapters never felt excessively long or too monotonous. It was all pretty precise and to the point, which is something I often feel missing in most nonfiction that I read. Hatshepsut: The Pharaoh-Queen of Egypt by in60Learning was a fascinating and well-written introduction for those who want to learn more about Hatshepsut. And one she more than deserves!

A stone statue of Hatshepsut

{photo is public domain}

Hatshepsut's mortuary temple complex at Deir el-Bahri.

{photo is public domain}

Relief from Hatshepsut mortuary temple where trees are transported by ship from Punt to Egypt for planting.

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I'm Stephanie, a 26 y/o bookworm from Belgium who loves reading and reviewing books in English. My favorite genres are historical fiction, dark romance, fantasy, science fiction and non-fiction. But I read and review pretty much any genre that I like the sound of. I'm also a big fan of Doctor Who and Studio Ghibli films.

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